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Health Physics Instrumentation Collection. A shoe-fitting fluoroscope, Geiger Mueller detectors, civil defence items, atomic movie posters, radioactive quack cures, radiation warning signs, etc.
Much more in the way of historical scientific instrumentation at the University of Toronto Museum of Scientific Instuments : exhibits on psychology, acoustics, and early electron microscopy; more in the collections.
American Artifacts has some interesting articles and illustrations on antique scientific and medical instruments, such as these quack eye massagers.
posted by plep at 11:40 PM PST - 10 comments

Too Much, Too Young Or Too Good To Be True? Fingers crossed! Cristiano Ronaldo is a charming and talented 18-year-old Portuguese football player, from a very poor family, who has just been bought by Manchester United for almost 20 million dollars/euros, a record amount. Given the No.7 shirt previously worn by the likes of George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham, his first game at Old Trafford has earned him rave reviews in the British press. Forgetting the football for a moment, how difficult is it for a teenager to deal with expectations this high and success this early in career and life?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 11:14 PM PST - 24 comments

Sudden Giant Nostril Gallery. Not as horrid as you'd imagine. Photos taken of animals, with the nose of the critter waaaay close to the camera lens. Actually, some images are pretty funny. And, no, this post has no intellectual merit. Step along, please.
posted by datawrangler at 9:10 PM PST - 9 comments

NASA thinks we can find another Earth in another nearby star. When we do, how can we possibly travel light-years to get there? It might not be as hard as you'd think . . .
posted by stbalbach at 9:09 PM PST - 31 comments

Transformation in a weekend? Recently a friend told me he'd signed up for the Landmark Forum, a personal improvement seminar offered by the Landmark Education Corporation. I did some googling on LEC and found some very disturbing material. Since we're being all "fair and balanced" on MeFi now, I'll add I found some positive material too. Oh, and since my research tells me Landmark tends to be very litigious about negative publicity, I'll just cover my orange-feathered butt and say that my negative impressions of Landmark are only my opinion, not that of MetaFilter, and I could be wrong. Have any MeFiers had any experiences - positive or negative - with LEC?
posted by orange swan at 8:33 PM PST - 47 comments

Schwarzenegger caught in lie about affair, statutory rape. After years of speculation and denials by both parties, Arnold Schwarzenegger's longtime "avenue of relaxation" and partner in outerwear spills the beans to British television. The affair was first alleged by Lacy H. Rich, Jr., a source of pictures and information for the infamous Spy Magazine article. In 1995, with his health deteriorating and the mainstream media ignoring his full allegations, Rich made numerous posts to Usenet with claims such as drug use, a longtime affair with Gigi that started when she was 16, car theft, and even prostituting himself to Paco Arce, a gay Spanish millionaire with an interest in bodybuilders. More plo chops, anyone?!
posted by insomnia_lj at 6:09 PM PST - 39 comments

newwavephotos.com You will find here a selection of photos (mainly B&W) taken mostly in the late 70's and early 80's of popular and not so popular "rock", "new wave" and "punk" groups.
posted by soundofsuburbia at 3:57 PM PST - 22 comments

Welcome to Root Beer World! Root Beer Reviews. Ask Dr. Root Beer about Root Beer Brand Names! Then ask Professor Root Beer about his reviews. And for the home brewer, a recipe for Root Beer Concentrate. More Root Beer Recipes. Root Beer History. Apart from root beer schnapps and various root beer float recipes, it's not a beverage one associates with mixed drinks. Ah, but it is so sweet and cool to drink on a hot summer's day.... Well, salud!
posted by y2karl at 2:47 PM PST - 30 comments

Think you're losing your head? Then you might want to avoid elevators for a while. Especially old elevators. This makes you wonder what happened here. Perhaps these should be mandated. These things happen more than you might think.
posted by IndigoSkye at 11:11 AM PST - 20 comments

The Victorian Sex Cry Generator. Ultimately useless, but fun. Definitely not safe for work (which is why I posted it on Sunday!)
posted by headspace at 8:42 AM PST - 15 comments

Decade of Rad: The 10 Eightiest Movies
posted by Espoo2 at 2:19 AM PST - 63 comments

Chicago 1968 - This month marks 35 years since the infamous 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. Hope was at a low ebb in the wake of a turbulent year that saw the assassinations of MLK and RFK. Peace activists and yippies took to the streets to protest the Viet Nam war and to nominate a pig for president. Police responded with shocking brutality. The ensuing Chicago Seven Trial was theatre of the absurd, with a colorful and prominent cast of characters. So what's changed in 35 years? Can next year's conventions be expected to generate outrage or apathy? - more -
posted by madamjujujive at 12:20 AM PST - 25 comments